A variety of devices in common use are designed to be directed toward a user but in a variety of environments. Computer monitors, especially larger monitors, often include tilt and swivel functions to enable a user to position the screen at an advantageous angle. Portable computers include a screen which can be tipped at an angle of the user's choice. The angle of choice often varies even for the same user, depending on the environment in which the computer is to be used. Telephones, portable televisions, audio speakers and many other devices can be designed to include various positioning devices to stabilize the device at an angle which is advantageous for a particular use at a particular time.
Audio speakers have traditionally been manufactured as some form of box, in other words, a rectangular prism. Certain speakers have adopted other shapes, such as an angled plane (many large electrostatic speakers) or inverted cone, but the box is the most common. Virtually all speakers are designed in a fixed enclosure, designed to rest in a fixed position, generally on a horizontal surface. Certain speakers are designed to be mounted in a wall, ceiling or in a car, but again these are designed to be used in a fixed position. If any position adjustment is desired, the only real degree of freedom is a rotational axis around a vertical axis. Thus a speaker can be rotated to the left or right, but generally cannot be tipped.
In certain installations, a speaker may be mounted at a desired angle, for example by fixing the speaker to a mounting bracket or suspending it from wires, allowing a wide degree of angular selection. However, the final result is a fixed angle, useful only for that particular installation. Changing the angle of the speaker requires a new installation, which is not an easy matter.
If a user desired to tip a speaker upward or downward, for example if positioned on a low shelf or a high shelf, respectively, the user had to resort to inserting wedges of various sorts. For many speakers, if the center of gravity is not low, this can result in an unstable position which requires additional stabilization.
This lack of adjustability is particularly limiting for relatively small speakers, such as those less than about one cubic foot in contained volume. This lack of adjustability pertains to a variety of other small enclosures or devices, such as telephone equipment and particularly television or computer screens.